Vicki Olds, Outback Mobile gets ready for playtime with the kids in the bush.

Cherie McDonald

When you're a kid living on an outback station, playing with other kids and sharing new toys can be hard due to the large distances between properties and towns.

But when the mobile toy library comes along, it can cause quite a stir.

Vicki Olds, director of outback mobile, drives thousands of kilometres a year in far west NSW in a 4WD jam-packed with fun activities, dropping into properties and remote towns and says the smiles on kids faces is worth the long hours on the road.

"If we set up at a property, families come from all around, so the mothers get a chance to catch up while we’re outside with the children. Some of the areas we go to, we are the only child-care service in the area."

“We try to be as available as possible as it's a long time between visits."

Rachel Hill, Waka station, which is five hours north of Broken Hill, says the toy library is an opportunity for her sons to social and to learn to share with other children.

"We're so far away from other kids, we don't really get to see many kids and it's also important for the mums too, to feel like they're not alone when everything is getting on top of them."

Bernadette Maxwell, Mount Shannon station, which is 320 kilometres from Broken Hill, says her family gets very excited when the mobile toy library comes to town, and that it's a great way to socialise with everyone.

"Whenever they come up here, we love it. They come a few times a year and we love catching up with all the kids - they obviously don't get to see other kids quite as often as if you lived in town."